Today, we come to another Story of a Freemason in America. And it nicely adds to the last story about Benito Juárez, because Porfirio Díaz, which we cover today, was a masonic brother and simultaneously political opponent of Juárez. I know, I know, again a Freemason from Mexico. But don’t worry, before we get over to Santa Anna in Issue 5, we’ll talk about another, non-Mexican Freemason.

Porfirio Díaz’ full name was José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori and he was a so called cuarterón de mestizo, meaning that he was a quarter indigenous. Díaz and Juárez were not really friends, but Masonic brothers. They knew and had a lot respect for each other. Politically, Díaz marks the conservative military position, while Juárez was almost anti-militaristic and a centralist.

Porfirio Díaz

Unarguably, Porfirio Díaz was the power type of man. One of those guys, that are needed and have great chances in an unstable time like before the Mexican Revolution. Such types and times can however also be very dangerous, once they have power – which Díaz had. That situation leaded directly to the Mexican Revolution, which 100th anniversary was celebrated this year.

But first things first: Díaz joined the revolutionary forces (conspiring against Santa Anna) around 1855 and quickly made his way up in the military. It was Benito Juárez as governor of Oaxaca who gave him his first military rank as Captain. Ever after his career skyrocketed and he became Commandant and governor of Tehuantepec, then Lieutenant Colonel, shortly after Colonel and then Brigadier General in 1961. That’s just six years and even though I personally never served in an army, I can imagine, that it takes quite some time nowadays.

We may not forget, that all those ranks were granted by his friend Juárez. But soon after all the fighting, Díaz became political, after he was appointed General in 1866.

Porfirio Díaz as Colonel

Díaz ran for office of president in 1867 against his friend and brother Juárez. This could be only possible, by the support he had in military and conservative groups. He lost however and Juárez became president. He entered the election again in 1871, this time against Juárez and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada – and lost again. Vice-president Lerdo provisionally took over presidency after Juárez’ death in July 1872 and got confirmed in another presidental election in August 1872.

In the years before, Díaz collected many promoters around him, because he understood how to gain their support. Juárez had substantially decreased the power and size of the military and performed the reform of the constitution. Those changes brought many against him and Díaz organized them, forming a political force called the “Porfiristas”.

The election of Lerdo in August 1872 was the last straw needed in this situation, since it was faked. Díaz, this time loosing 10502 to 680 votes, was a big part of the movement that dispossessed Lerdo and gave interim’s presidency to Jose Maria Iglesias, a supporter. Díaz finally got elected president in 1877. And here comes the dangerous part of people with power.

The Mexican Flag during Díaz' presidencypicture:Mexicano/wikimedia.org/cc-by-sa

His presidency is defined by relentless severity in action against peasant, indigenous citizens, his support and wide use of the army, drastic measures against protesters and undoubted authority. This also brought economical boom, of course, cause Díaz allowed European investors to use that structure. And it was one of the main reasons for the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Until then he had been president for 33 years. The person that was mainly responsible for his fall was Francisco Madero, a freemason.

I want to give a short overview about this story:Juárez (mason) is president and friend of Díaz (mason). They both fought again Santa Anna (mason). Díaz later loses election against Juárez and Lerdo (mason). Díaz becomes president and later gets overthrown by Madero (mason). The only one in this story, who was no mason was Iglesias. That time before the Mexican revolution can be characterized by “powerful freemasons fighting against each other” and therefore is a good example, why any conspiracy theory about freemasons should be watched with great scepticism.